I know what you are all thinking. “Is that ice on the blueberry bush?” And you would all be correct. Believe it or not, we experienced a frost on May 20th! If the berries would not have been protected, our crop could have been a goner. However, due to overhead irrigation, we managed to protect the crop from winter’s last attempt at hanging on. Sure enough around 11:30, the frost alarm went off. Armen even programed it to say “Wake up, it’s cold out there” in her voice. John went outside and with the help of the neighbors (the circuit was skrewy), he was able to turn on the overhead sprinklers. This system works because as the water overhead turns to ice, it releases heat, thus protecting the delicate fruit from freezing solid. However, this requires a constant flow of water to keep the plants at or around 32 C. In places where the heads were clogged, we lost some fruit. Mostly though, our crop was saved. And in the morning, I awoke to this lovely sight.
